What film do you think everyone should watch?
WONDER WOMAN 1984. Let’s not give the industry any excuse for punishing women filmmakers if they don’t get exactly the same glowing notices with the sequel. After all, many men have gotten to make three, four, even five sequels without that. We need to have Patty Jenkins’ back here.
What’s your favorite part about living and working in the DC/MD/VA region?
That’s easy! The incredible mentoring I’ve received from WIFV. While I have relocated to LA in order to support my daughter in her acting career and pursue series work, WIFV continues to be the “wind beneath my wings,” in terms of connections, moral support, and building skills in every facet of my work as a screenwriter. I feel a responsibility every day to carry that forward.
Who inspires you?
Jane Barbara, Coordinator of ScriptDC, Moderator of the Screenwriters Roundtable, and terrific screenwriter in her own right, has set a fantastic example to me personally, of the courage, determination, and collaborative nature it takes to work in this industry. She just does not give up. WIFV is so fortunate to have her.
What story do you wish someone would tell?
Where do I begin? We are in the infancy of re-dressing the dearth of women at the center of their own stories. That’s what I want to see: films about women inhabiting their stories, in their own way, at all points in human history. Things are getting better—witness BIG LITTLE LIES, DEAD TO ME, THE GREAT, WAJDA, and so many more. Our job is to tell them, and see them, and support them.
What’s your favorite place to celebrate success with your crew?
I love the homeyness of McGinty’s in Silver Spring. Especially in winter, when the fire is lit and the stew is warm and the Guinness is flowing! With just a few of us, after seeing a wonderful movie at AFI or the terrific multiplex nearby, to talk over the movie, our projects, our dreams. Boy. Do I miss that.
